Gone
by Chibi-Kari
Summary: Naru never believed in kamikakushi. Someone being taken away by the gods? They were just kidnapped or left their old lives. But now…now he wishes he would have paid more attention to the stories. R&R!
1. All Is Still

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Chibi-Kari: Hi everyone! This is my first Ghost Hunt story. It's been sitting around in my brain for a bit now; I've just been too busy to get to it. I hope you all enjoy it. Obviously I don't own Ghost Hunt. *Edit 10/08/09 part of a full edit*

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**Note: Some of you may already know what a kamikakushi is. It literally translates into hidden by God, but you all might know it by spirited away. It was quite popular in Japanese folklore. You might know it from the Miyazaki movie Spirited Away. Don't get confused with that aspect. This is going to be nothing like that. This kamikakushi is going to be more along the likes of the kamikakushi in the Missing series by Gakuto Coda.**

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**Gone**

**Chapter 1-All is Still**

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Bou-san, Ayako, and John were sitting on the couches at the SPR for the third time this week, much to Naru's chagrin. They had taken to sitting in the office in their free time if Naru was honest with himself he knew they really didn't have anything better to do. What could there possibly be for a monk, miko, and priest to do when they weren't carrying out religious duties. Nothing. Naru shook his head slightly as he stood in the doorway. Nothing he said to them would leave him with peace. No matter how many times he said the words 'this is not a coffee shop' they just couldn't bring themselves to believe him.

"Really. I expect more out of you. You're all adults and shouldn't be loitering around a place of business like this. I know you don't have anything better to do, but couldn't you actually take this" He waved his free hand in a vague gesture, "to an actual coffee shop?"

All he had wanted was for some quiet time today so that he could do more research. Lately the cases had been piling up and he hadn't been able to look at many maps. Instead he comes out from the kitchen, tea in hand, to find his waiting area filled with the irregulars. This was definitely not the productive afternoon he was thinking of.

Bou-san awkwardly tilted his head over the back of the sofa to glance wearily at Naru, "Where's Mai?"

Naru rolled his eyes, "Is that all you're here for? She won't be in today so you can all leave if that's all."

He hoped Mai's absence would get them moving right out the office door. Naru thanked God for the tenth time today. Mai's absence had meant little distraction. She had always made odd sounds out in the entrance area…though, Naru did miss her tea. On normal days her tea was enough to equal out her oddities. Today was not a normal day.

Ayako swiveled towards the narcissist, hitting Bou-san squarely in the head with her elbow, "He didn't ask if she was coming in. He asked where she was. I thought a genius like you could answer anything."

Her voice had boomed through the otherwise reasonably quiet area causing Lin to stick his head out of his office. He glanced over at Naru who was barely containing his irritation under a façade of calm. "She had an exam at school today. She'll be back in tomorrow."

Bou-san turned back to his original position and threw his arms back over the top of the couch, "I don't see why she just doesn't quit school. It's only compulsory through junior high."

Naru sharply turned towards his office door, "Well she's more intelligent than you." With that he crossed the final steps and slammed his door. He wasn't about to waste more of his time discussing Mai. He would just try to drown them out for a few hours before forcibly removing them.

"No wonder he's so crabby. She hasn't been here to make his tea." Bou-san huffed. Ayako and John broke out into laughter.

"That's probably true. I don't know where he puts it all." John's statement was left fragmented as his laughed interrupted him several times.

Lin stared at the group a moment longer before turning back to his office shaking his head slowly. He was about to shut the door when Masako slammed the front door open. She stood ridged for a moment, her hair a mess and her breathing shallow, looking wildly about the room. "Where's Mai?"

Naru's door flung open at the sound of the front door slamming against the wall. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the young girl standing in the doorway, "What is this Mai's home? She's not always here. She's at school." He swiftly turned back towards the solitude that his office promised him.

Masako eyes widened as she brought her hand up to her mouth, her kimono sleeve not quite making it. She let out a strangled sound catching everyone's attention. She closed her eyes for a moment calming herself, putting on her professional air. She struggled several moments, all eyes trained on her, before failing. Her voice was broken as she uttered the four words that would vanquish any thoughts of solitude from Naru's mind. "Turn on the television."

John slid off the sofa towards the television just feet from him. He'd never seen the young medium so troubled and it truly unnerved him. He stared at his shaking hand above the tuner, "What station?"

She took another shaky breath as she walked to stand behind the couch, Lin and Naru joining her, "Any of the local stations. It doesn't matter."

The young priest's eyes stayed trained on hers as he pressed the power button. The television came on with a click, the picture fading in to a young reporter, masses of people crowded around her pushing and crying. Her eyes were wild with panic as she tried stay professional on what had to be one of her first live reports.

Bou-san scooted to the edge of the sofa, folding himself forward to get a better look at the screen, "That's Mai's school." Ayako hit him softly.

"Once again we are covering the strange happenings at this local area high school. About an hour ago there was an incident out front of the school. Teachers say that there was a student from another school loitering out front and as school policy went outside to question the student. Once they had gotten outside, the student was no longer there. Thinking the young man had been there to see one of their students and left they went back to their classrooms only to find that their students weren't in class. After a preliminary search the building, the teachers still couldn't find any of their students. The principal stands firm that over 400 students cannot just walk out of a building unnoticed. As of yet, none of the students have been reported to have gone home or have been seen at any of the local shops."

"Let's go." Naru started walking towards the door before anyone could really even grasp what had happened. "I said let's go. Lin, start the van." He was out the door before John had pulled himself from the floor.

Within seconds everyone was packed into the van and on the road. What would have been a fifteen minute car ride took almost forty-five. There were cars everywhere, many idling in the middle of the street. People were running towards the school, leaving their cars on the road. Lin had to stop the car almost five blocks from the school, pulling it over to the side of the road.

Within seconds the team had piled into the open air and was running towards the building. Naru arrived first, pushing his way through the crowd to the front gates. Police were there holding everyone back, stopping him from entering the school and searching for himself. He felt the others break through the crowd to stand around him. He could vaguely hear the crying of a woman and the conversation of two of the police officers over his own thoughts.

"This has to be a prank." An officer pushed a woman back towards the crowd. He shook his pepped hair slightly as he glanced at his partner.

"It's one hell of a prank. How did they get so organized? There isn't a backdoor to this place either. They would have had to stroll right past their teachers to get out."

"So what do you think this is…some type of kamikakushi?"

There were some things that Naru just didn't believe in. Vampires…kamikakushi…things that just don't exist. Even for a ghost hunter these things were just too farfetched. Half the cases that came across his desk were full of these superstitions. Something is killing all the animals in the countryside; it must be a vampire. Little Yuki went missing; it must be a kamikakushi. These things were just too much for him…but now, now he wished that he had paid more attention when someone said kamikakushi. Over 400 students don't disappear at once…nor do they all get kidnapped.

A sudden movement to his left drew his attention. Masako's eyes were wide and her face had paled considerably as she pointed towards a window on the second floor, "Look."

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TBC

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Chibi-Kari: I hope all of you like this. It's been sitting in my head for a bit. It's going to get better and there will be more action. And of course our lovely SPR will be investigating. One of their own people missing isn't something they can ignore. R&R!

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	2. Time

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Chibi-Kari: You guys are going to hate me…I had this sitting on my desktop for months. I'm so sorry about that…grad school has been killing me lately. Right now I'm actually trying to find a way to get an assignment that I screwed up on back so I can hand in the actual assignment! Well I don't own…because there would never be new manga chapters…although that does seem the case anyway. Oh well…enjoy and sorry once again! *Edit 10/08/2009 part of total edit*

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**Gone**

**Chapter 2 - Time**

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Naru's head snapped up to view the window Masako was still pointing at. Bou-san covered his mouth slightly as Ayako gasped. Naru took deep breaths to keep his composure as he stared up at the window. There, in front of them, was a young girl around Mai's age…a little taller. He squinted slightly as he tried to place if had seen her before. Her shoulder length hair was died a dark brown and swinging as she threw her entire body towards the window. Her eyes were wide pleading for help, but just as quickly as she was appeared she was gone. The movement of her disappearance disconcerted Naru more than her apparent fright.

"Lin, did you see that?" Naru asked glancing over at the stoic man next to him. He glanced around the rest of the crowd to gauge their reactions. They seemed just as panicked as before and oblivious to the young girl in the window.

"The girl in the window?" Bou-san asked as he looked over, his shock still apparent on his features. His eyes were wide and his jaw slightly lax.

"You mean how she vanished, right?" Lin barely peeled his eyes away from the window to glance at Naru, who only gave a brief nod in response, "Yes."

"What do you mean how she vanished?" John spoke up for the first time since they arrived. "I think it's more important to find out who she is and if she is one of the students." John looked around the crowd until his eyes landed on Masako's hunched form. At the moment she was anything but the demure girl that she normally portrays. Her body shook slightly, eyes still wide, and arm still pointing in the air. John slowly reached up to her arm and pulled it down; his hand then settled on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. It was all he could do or say in this situation.

"Mr. Shibuya!" A strangled voice called over the chaos. A tall graying man pushed through the police, shaking slightly. "Please, please come this way." His voice was wary as he ushered the group through the barricade. He kept them at a brisk pace until they entered the safety of the lobby.

Naru glanced up at Mai's principal. He looked older in this moment. Months ago he still held his youthful appearance. The panic and the disbelief on his face seemed to age the man, "What happened?"

The principal looked around, wildly glancing from one side of the lobby to the other. He almost seemed to be searching; looking as if he could see his students if he just turned his head fast enough. Bou-san errantly thought that the man was about to get whiplash from his own movements. His head snapped again to the right as if the students would be standing there joking and laughing amongst themselves, wishing for the school day to be over, not missing.

"There was a disturbance. A student…" He glanced again quickly to the left, just behind John. The action was normal, a gesture that should have told the group someone had just joined them. John quickly turned around to find no one there. The principal settled his eyes back on Naru, "A student from another school. I don't…I don't know what happened. All I can tell you is that none of our kids left. I just…" He glanced around the lobby both hands grasping at the air, "I don't know what happened. You have to find them. Anything. Anything you need just ask. Any price. Anything. You just have to find them for me." His eyes pleaded.

Naru nodded almost imperceptivity before he started barking orders for cameras and equipment to be brought in. "We need to get our equipment in here without damage. I would also like to have little police and media involvement. You need to find a way to get rid of them."

The principal stared on for a moment before nodding his head in an acquiescent manner. "I'll find a way…like I said anything. When can you start?"

"Immediately. Bou-san and Lin are going to go get our equipment. John and I will start arranging the base room and Masako and Ayako will start a walk through. I would also like a roster of all the students here today. Does your roster include pictures?" Naru asked the principal as Bou-san and Lin left for the van.

"Yes. Pictures, family history, records of siblings. All of that is there." The principal started to ring his hands, "I can have it for you in an hour."

"Sooner if possible. We'll be taking one of the upper level classrooms as our base room. I assume that falls under anything." Naru raised an eyebrow as he nodded to Ayako and Masako to start their walkthrough. Ayako pulled Masako gently towards the right hallway. It seemed as good as any place when there were no hot spots.

"Yes. I'll find you when I have the papers ready. Just…just find them before something happens." The principal took off towards the main office leaving Naru and John standing in the silent lobby.

"Why an upper level classroom?" John asked as he glanced towards the stairs they would have to climb with the equipment. He sent a silent thanks to God that he wouldn't be the one carrying everything up them.

"I plan to use the room next to the one the girl appeared in. It seems significant that she appeared there and no one else has appeared anywhere." Naru started making his way up the steps.

"Are we sure Mai actually came today? Maybe she slept in or something. That's something she would do." John spoke softly gazing around the empty lobby.

"I'd say right now we need to assume she came. Not that that effects the case any. We need to find all these kids, not just the one we are associated with. I'm not sure what happened but it's safe to say that it is supernatural."

"The principal seemed too nervous. I'm not sure. It was almost as if he knew something else. And why did he say 'find them before something happens'? I'd say that something already happened. This doesn't make any sense." John shook his head slightly before starting to trudge up the stairs behind his boss.

Naru stopped for a moment before continuing up the stairs towards what would become the base room. "Why indeed." He wanted to have the tables ready for the equipment before Lin and Bou-san made it back. It would save time and right now he felt as if they were already running out of that.

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**Chibi-Kari: Thanks for reading and please review. Updates should be faster…my writers block has started to ebb. And thanks for all the support of the first chapter, I wasn't expecting that!**

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	3. Tsukiakari

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Chibi-Kari: Hi everyone! I told you I would try to get the chapters out quicker. I've actually had a rough draft finished for a few days, but it was on paper. I promised myself I wouldn't update this until I finished some homework. Thus right after I finished my discussion board posts I strolled on to my Microsoft Word and typed this up. Obviously I don't own Ghost Hunt. *Edit 10/09/09 part of overhaul*

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**Gone**

**Chapter 3 - Tsukiakari**

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Bou-san glanced at the papers surrounding them piled on the floor, desks, and tables. They never seemed to end. The principal took two trips with a large cart to bring the files to the group. He couldn't help but think that the school decided to record every achievement or lack thereof in their files. Three hours later and they still weren't halfway through the stack or any closer to finding out anything. Nothing about what could be happening. Nothing about the girl. Hell, not even anything about Mai.

The cameras had been set up. There wasn't even a flicker of activity, much to Naru's annoyance. And theirs. He was getting shorter and shorter as time went on. His attitude was quickly digressing to full out tyrannical behavior. He had been hoping to catch the mysterious girl on camera. Naru's philosophy was if something appeared once, chances are it would appear again. Or at least that's the stance he had taken to mumbling under his breath as he checked the monitors for the hundredth time this hour.

Masako had returned over an hour ago more distressed than before. She had been clutching Ayako tightly glancing around much like the principal had. When Ayako deposited her on the couch she started to hyperventilate alternating between mumbling Mai and oh my god. It had taken a good ten minutes and a threat from Naru before she could calm down enough to tell him her findings. Which were little better than nothing. Her voice had become weak as she tried to explain that it was like everyone was behind a thin veil. She could sense them but get no clear picture. They were obscured from both her human sight and her vision of ghosts. She spent the next few minutes still, going over her thoughts before amending her analysis saying the situation was more like the veins under your skin. You knew it was there, could sometimes see them a bit, but most of the time they were so far away from your mind that you forgot. Bou-san didn't quite understand that but when Lin and Naru nodded slightly, he decided not to bring it up.

"Ah! Found her!" The room seemed to come alive with a start. Leave it to Yasuhara to be there ten minutes and find the girl they had seen, solely by description. Bou-san shook his head. That boy was amazing with research. "Is this her?" He lifted up the photo of the girl they had seen. Ayako gasped and Lin nodded, the rest of the group seemed to murmur their approval. "Okay. She's a third year like Mai, not in Mai's class though. Her family name is Yamoto and her given name is Tsukiakari…interesting to name your child the equivalent of moonlight, not very common. I wonder-".

"Yasuhara, stay on subject or I'll take the file and do it myself." Naru stated harshly. His mood just crashed head first into tyrannical.

Yasuhara's glasses shined as he glanced up at the other boy, "She's an only child, lives with her two parents and grandmother, and her file says she's a loner with outlandish ideas. Which could mean just about anything. That's it; nothing really notable besides that." He handed the file to Naru before pausing then leaning to grab Mai's, which had appeared under hers.

"Why are you looking at Mai's file?" John asked as he leaned over the back of Yasuhara's seat to get a closers look at Mai's file himself. The manila file seems a bit larger than most of the others scattered around the room.

"Just curious to what they think about our girl. It's not like she volunteers any information about herself to any of us." He shrugged as he flipped to the first page, a smiling picture of their missing comrade. Yasuhara couldn't help but smile back at the picture. Mai had that way about her here or not. She could put anyone at ease. He glanced over the file towards his boss…that was probably why he had been so upset lately. Mai's personality suited his well.

"Isn't that the truth? We didn't even know she was an orphan until it came up…and then she was so nonchalant about it." Ayako nodded to herself as she spoke, "What's it say Yasu?"

"Hmmm…average grades since enrollment in school. Her tests scores seem to be in the top one hundred. Nothing big there. No major behavioral problems, just got caught a couple times sneaking into the school to tell ghost stories with friends. Average Japanese student I'd say, maybe even a little better behaved. Her professional survey says she would like to be a psychiatrist like her father."

"So her father was a psychiatrist. Interesting. I wonder if that's why she can relate to people so well. They always just seem to open right up to her. Maybe her dad taught her some tricks before he died." Bou-san pondered, throwing another file into what he dubbed the 'waste of time pile.'

"Unless that file explains what's happening, you better shut it and get back to work, Yasuhara. Or you just feel free to leave." Naru sneered as he closed the other girl's file with more force than necessary. There was nothing more in it than what Yasuhara had announced to the room. He brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and clenched it harshly. He needed Mai's tea for God's sake.

Yasuhara glanced up quickly; Naru was really starting to grate on his nerves. Yes, they were all upset, but Naru was being more ridiculous than normal. "It doesn't say what's happening, but I think it defines outlandish ideas."

"What do you mean?" Lin spoke for the first time in at least an hour. The stoic man leaned forward slightly as he swiveled his chair to face them and away from the monitors. His tie was undone and he had taken to tugging at it periodically while looking for some sort of lead.

"It seems Mai's father had outlandish ideas, also." Yasuhara stated offhandedly as he continued to scan the file.

"And that defines anything?" Naru snapped, his hand falling from his face quickly. He steeled his glare on the file in Yasuhara's hands. He was this close to taking the damn thing away from the boy if he couldn't get to the point.

"It does when it has a file with it on him in it. It says that his outlandish ideas got him fired and they hoped they wouldn't influence Mai. I don't quite understand how she would even know the circumstances of his firing. It happened two years before she was born." He shook his head slightly.

"Yasuhara, I know we would appreciate an abridged version." John said as he glanced around the room. Every eye was trained on the boy. Many of the occupants looked as if they would throttle him if he didn't hurry and get to the point and Naru's eye had taken to twitching.

Yasuhara glanced up with a huff, and then smiled at the young priest, "Only because you asked, John. It seems her father worked at a behavioral rehabilitation center…basically a psych hospital. He advocated that one of his patients wasn't crazy. He said that this particular patient really could see the past and future. He also went on to say that this person could see spirits. The center's board got together and asked him to leave, obviously. After that the patient in question disappeared too. I'm guessing outlandish ideas are thoughts regarding the supernatural and occult." Yasuhara concluded glancing at Naru's now still form.

"I'd say that's a safe conclusion." Naru stated once again glancing at the unchanging monitor.

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: Thanks again for sticking with me through my writers block. I seem to have barreled through it somehow. I'm also thinking of writing a story about the hospital Mai's father worked at…once I finish this of course. Tell me what you think. And once again thanks for reading and please review!**

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	4. Help

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Chibi-Kari: Morning everyone! I've been reworking this chapter for a few days now and I'm still not 100% happy with the way it's turned out. And this chapter houses the original vision I had that the story is based around. Once again I'd like to thank everyone that has been reading this and giving any type of feedback. Well I don't own Ghost Hunt but I wished I did. _By the way Baka-Tsuki finally has translations of the first two novels that the Ghost Hunt series was based on!_ I'm going to finish reading them after I post this. If anyone wants the link just tell me! *Edit 10/09/09 part of massive overhaul*

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**Gone**

**Chapter 4 - Help**

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Naru scoffed as he read another book on Japanese Folklore; there weren't many reputable resources about kamikakushi. Mostly because they were considered folklore in the Western World and the books in Japan, while interesting, normally weren't very factual. He couldn't believe that if kamikakushi truly existed they would only exist in Japan. Mass anomalies like that don't happen. It wasn't like the fake idea the Japanese had about ghosts cursing them. That was explained with superstition. They thought because they got a cold after seeing a ghost that it was a curse. Nothing exceptionally strange.

But this was different. There was just nothing similar to this type of happening in the Western World. Sure there was the story of will-o'-the-wisp, walking with his single burning coal, who would lead people astray in the marsh. But that was only in English Folklore and Naru always suspected that that was really misdirection and tricks of light at night, not quite the same as this. Nothing was about stealing children from schools in broad daylight. It wasn't, couldn't, be a kidnapping. This was just something so different to him, a ghost that steals people. Not only does this ghost have enough power to steal one person, it can steal a whole school. I couldn't possibly be that powerful and go unnoticed for this long.

He looked down again at the book in his grip, the various works of Eiichirou Oosako. Personally, he thought the man himself was dangerous. He described things a little too fully. How to summon a demon and other occult aspects, that were just too dangerous to be spreading around. Naru almost slammed the book shut when he came across another insert about the cursed fax in the Kanto area, that was just a fake story to scare children…not so unlike the stories Mai and her friends were telling, here, that first night he met her. But the book…too much information was too much information and some information was obviously fake…cursed fax. Naru scoffed at the idea in general. Come on, just shut the fax machine off the first time…or better yet don't have a fax machine! He didn't. E-mail was easier. He sighed deeply, glancing from the rubbish book in his hand before letting his eyes wander to the various faces in the room.

Lin was typing away going through the history of the school again. They had a full history from their first case with nothing coming up, so Naru didn't see how this would be helping anything. Schools don't just get extra history out of nowhere. Things don't work like that in the real world and Lin was thorough if nothing else. Ayako and Bou-san were going through all the files of the students in attendance at the time of disappearance. Yasuharu was still holding Mai's file staring at it as if it unraveled the mystery of the girl herself. Masako had taken to rubbing her temples complaining off and on about how she could almost see them. John, on the other hand, looked oddly speculative.

Naru fixed his gaze on him as the Australian priest glanced up towards Lin, "Lin." The Chinese man swiveled his chair faster than Naru had seen him move before, "You haven't found anything more on the school right?" Lin nodded slowly as if trying to see where John was going. "Maybe we aren't looking in the right place."

The statement caught the attention of everyone in the room. All eyes stayed trained to the young priest. Naru sat forward, gracelessly dropping the book on his lap, "What do you mean, John? Lin is looking for information everywhere. We have many sources at our disposal, Lin is exhausting them all."

John sighed reaching up and pushing his honey blonde hair from his eyes, "That's not quite what I meant. I mean…" He paused glancing at Naru before looking back at Lin, "remember when I thought that the principal seemed to be hiding something? Well that feeling is staying with me. I've learned to listen to my feelings; it normally means God is trying to tell me something. Since we aren't finding anything in the first place, why not look into the principal's history also. It can't hurt can it? Maybe this happened to another one of his schools or something…" John trailed off as he glanced around the room for support.

"Lin." Naru nodded to the older man.

"Alright." Lin answered turning his fingers down to dance across the keyboard.

Lin just finished submitting the search when his head snapped up towards the monitor eye level to his left and bolted from the room. Bou-san was fast on his heals chasing him down the hall as the rest of the group made their way to the door following the two men running like their life depended on it.

"Lin? Lin what's going on?" Bou-san was shouting as Lin threw open a door to a classroom a little farther down the hall and stopped abruptly.

The rest of the group came up behind him in the barren classroom. All desks and tables looked like the students should still be sitting there. I half eaten riceball. A manga left open under a textbook. All signs that the children were in action when they were removed from this very classroom. They wouldn't leave evidence of their childish antics if they walked out of the school themselves.

"Mai." Masako almost whispered as she looked on to the girl standing near the opposite door.

Mai shook her head slightly and smiled, "Hi." The small girl looked worn and slightly unnerved.

"Mai…Mai where are you?" Masako cried slightly as she stepped towards the other girl, "It's like you're here but you're not."

Mai sighed slightly glancing back and lowering her voice, "It's thin here. I can't stay long. Help us."

Naru stepped forward, his voice taking on his no nonsense tone, "We need to know what happened."

"We were in class. There was someone out front, or at least that's what the announcement said. I couldn't see anyone, none of us did. And then-" Mai's still form lurched backwards as her knees hit the ground and her head jerked backwards as if someone had pulled her hair. The move was disorienting to everyone…it looked like she was being assaulted with no one else in the room but them.

Bou-san brought his hands up as he started to chant. Mai's eyes widened farther "**Don't! You can't! They don't know what they're doing!**" Her body lurched backwards as if dragged towards the door. Her body started to fade out as she glanced behind her and mumbled, "I'll come." She turned her head back to the group, lowering it slightly and whispered, "Just help us." The words hanging in the air were all the evidence that was left of her.

Naru and Lin turned abruptly and started back towards the base. Standing in the classroom was getting them nowhere fast. "Lin, I want to see the video of that room. The camera should have gotten the entire room. See if you can make anything out. Maybe we can slow it down and we'll see something."

Lin nodded his head as he walked back in the base and sat down in front of the computer. The group followed in. Masako clutching Ayako as she started to sob, the rest of the group somber. Masako and Mai had a strange relationship with Naru had never tried to understand. They had hated eachother for a long time, but after the case with the god in the sea, they had taken to spending time together. They sat and giggled, girls were just something he decided to never try to understand. Naru started to pace the room as Lin downloaded the video to his computer for viewing. Everything was taking too long.

"Naru, I found something else you need to see." Lin's voice was a mix of astonished and disgusted as it rang out through the silent room.

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: After titling this chapter I got the Beatles song stuck in my head. Great…anyway read and review!**

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	5. Shōwa 50

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Chibi-Kari: For some reason I didn't think it had been so long since I last posted to this story. I'm horribly sorry for the wait! I haven't been seeing many new Ghost Hunt fics so I almost wandered away completely from the category. To tell the truth the Unlucky series was my muse and since the author has stopped writing that I have started to lose my will to write. But don't worry I will prevail. I don't own Ghost Hunt…I would say because the release schedule would be weird…except that it is weird. Enjoy! *Edited 10/09/09 part of mass edit!*

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**Gone**

**Chapter 5 - **_**Shōwa 50**_

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Naru's pacing stopped almost immediately as he turned to cross the few feet between himself and Lin, leaning over the older man's shoulder. He would have pushed the other man right out of his chair if he thought he could have gotten away with it. The rest gathered around the computer station as Lin moved back and angled his chair out of the way. With a few clicks on his laptop, he brought up a newspaper clipping on one of the monitors.

"This is what I found. It seems you were right to question this, John." Lin leaned back father as he compulsively tugged on his tie again.

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**_The Tokyo Shimbun_**

_Shōwa 50_

_Shota Keniichi_

_A month ago one of the most disturbing crimes was committed in the Tohoku region. At one of the local farming secondary schools, 100 children went missing during school hours. The teachers claim there was a young boy loitering outside the front of the school and when they went out to question him he disappeared. Upon returning to their classroom they found that all of their students were missing. The locals scoured the area for day looking for the children. This, itself, was not the most disturbing part of our story, although I find it extremely worrisome that it was neither reported to the local police nor the government. This may, even, be the first time you are hearing of this tragedy._

_Three days later, police responded to screaming from inside the school building. It took them almost twenty minutes to get inside of the school and almost fifteen minutes to arrive. When entering they described it as something worse than a horror movie. 98 students were murdered in that school building. Their bodies strewn across the shoe lockers and desks like pieces of bloody rags. The following is an excerpt from an interview with one of the policemen on the scene. For propriety sake I shall leave him unnamed._

"_It took us twenty minutes to get in the door. I was the first to arrive. The screaming was just dying down, but several of the townspeople out front said that it had been excruciating when it first started. I tried to enter the building but the front door would not slide open. After struggling for almost five minutes several other officers arrived, by then the screaming had subsided completely. It took four of us pulling on the door for it to open. I knew there was something wrong by the sound that the door made when it opened. There was a sickening smell and a sound of the door being opened on water. I quickly realized that the reason we weren't able to open it was because there was a body blocking the door. The wet wood sound was that child's blood. It took me a few moments to realize that the face was gone beyond recognition. This held true for all of the children. They were torn to shreds. Arms and sticking out of the shoe cabinets. Hands reaching out of the desk. At the end of it all we weren't even able to match up all of the bodies with limbs. It was horrors that could not be repeated in even the scariest movie. I walked blindly through the building, not even trying to stay clean, it just wasn't possible. There wasn't a place to walk, only blood and other substances that I choose not to recognize. All I could hope for was one survivor. One person to tell me what happened. I haven't been able to sleep since then. I don't think I'll ever sleep again. This will haunt me until I die."_

_That night a final body count found 98 to be dead. Two were alive. A second year boy and a first year girl were left standing in the wreckage of their classmates, completely devoid of blood. The girl has been brought to a psychiatric facility in Tokyo and the boy has moved with his family to an undisclosed location. Neither child has decided to comment on the happenings during the three days they were missing or the screaming that lead to the death of their peers. The girl has, reportedly, been repeating "Help us. Help us, please" since she was found. The boy has yet to talk about the experience._

_The police ruled this accidental homicide and closed the case. It was deemed impossible that the two survivors to have killed the entire class and I would have to believe them. Two young children could not bring down 98 of their classmates, many of them older than the two. Let alone their cleanliness when found. Personally I question why their parents didn't go to the police right away if the children disappeared. Why did it take a passing motorist to call in the screams from the schoolhouse, not any of the townspeople? There are too many questions that go unanswered. But the lack of report to the media is the highest on my list._

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"Is the principal the boy?" Bou-san knew the question was stupid before he finished asking it, but he just didn't want it to believe it. If he was the boy, he knew exactly what was going to happen to those kids.

Lin nodded slowly as he reached down and pulled the tie completely from his shirt and dropped it uselessly on to the floor.

"God rest their souls." John barely breathed as he quickly scanned the quote again before looking at Naru, "This isn't good. It seems whatever this is has followed the man here. It couldn't be a coincidence that this would happen to his school. There has to be something more going on…something more to this story."

Ayako rang her hands nervously, "How do you suppose they are counting?"

Bou-san narrowed his eyes before snapping at her, "Why does that matter?"

She glanced at him before turning to Lin, "If they are counting the first day they are missing as day one then we are almost on day two. If they are counting full days then we still have half of a day until we are done. Or they could be counting full days after. The first day is almost a day zero. And then it is day one, two, and then three they die. We need to know how much time we have."

"It doesn't say in the article." Yasuhara mumbled to himself.

Naru slammed his hands down on the desk in front of him. "We'll just assume we wasted all of day one until we know better. Lin see if you can contact Shota-san from this article. See if he can give any more details. Or better yet, see if he can tell us who this policeman was. Also, find out who the girl is. Let's see if we can reach her. We need to find out information and now. The more we know the more we can do. Mai didn't give us any more clues other than the fact that they are in trouble. If she can find us again we might learn more. John we're going to go down and find the principal; he has some explaining to do."

John glanced around before looking back up at Naru, "Why me?"

Naru sighed, "Because your God was telling you something about the principal. He obviously might be able to give you more feelings. Bou-san, Yasuhara please compile a list of all of the students here today and approximations on where they were. I'll have the principal send up the teachers. We may need this if identifications are needed later on. After that see if you can find any records of this type of occurrence in the past. I would go through the town records first. Lin can get them for you when you're done with the list. Ayako, Hara-san, please continue your walk through. See if you can contact Mai. Lin, what have you found from the video of Mai?"

Lin turned his chair completely away from the computer, a sour look gracing his features, "As I suspected, she was pulled away from us. You can see indentations where hands settled on her and pulled her back. I'd have to say there were two. And a third at the door. That was the one she spoke to at the end. Other than that I have no information. The thermals showed no change. In fact the thermals didn't even show Mai as being there."

Naru looked contemplative for a moment as he glanced around the room, "Thank you, Lin. Get going everyone. For some reason the amount of students missing has risen that that bothers me. Whatever this is isn't following the pattern and if it is...we may only have two more days."

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: Once again sorry for the wait. Thanks for reading and please review!**

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	6. Phone Call

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Chibi-Kari: I am in complete shock! VivaEdina, the author of the Unlucky series, wrote me the most wonderful review encouraging me to continue…and giving me hope that her series will be continuing! It was fantastic to find one of my favourite authors reading my own story! Well I don't own and I'd like to thank all my beloved reviewers…you all keep me writing! I love each and every one of you! I don't own…and sorry to say this is more of a filler chapter. The phone call will be important. And I have stolen the idea of it from the book that was my basis for the entire story. Once again I do recommend the book series to those of you that love the Ghost Hunt series! *Edit 10/09/09*

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**Gone**

**Chapter 6 – Phone Call**

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They all moved to make their way to carry out their assigned duties when American rock music rang out through the room. Naru's eyes widened as he looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. In all their time working together none of the irregulars ever had their phones ring while on a case and he was certain his was off and it didn't have a ringtone like that.

Yasuhara pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He looked down at the offending object before looking back up, his expression frighteningly blank and his voice monotone. "It's Mai."

Naru snapped the phone out of Yasuhara's hand before he could do more than stare at it wide eyed and answered, "Mai? Mai, what's going on? Where are you?"

With a quick click, Naru placed Yasuhara's phone on speaker allowing everyone to hear whatever it was that he heard. Static filled the room, growing louder with every passing second.

"Is that even coming from the phone anymore?" Masako asked glancing around the room. She squinted her eyes towards the corner of the room before moving closer to the group, alternating glances between the corner and the phone in Naru's hand.

Bou-san raised his hand stopping her question from being answered, "Do you hear that? The whispers. There's something behind the static." He looked up from the phone that had become the center of everyone's attention and focused on Naru for a minute before looking at Lin.

Lin crossed the room in a matter of seconds coming to Naru's side with his laptop in hand. "The infrared is enabled so I've been able to get a recording of this. We can analyze it and find out what she was trying to tell us."

The sound fluctuated for several minutes before dying out completely as the call disconnected.

With a few clicks, Naru redialed the phone and waited for it to connect. Sound once again filled the air, "The party you are trying to reach is currently out of signal or has their phone turned off. Please try again at a later date."

"How can she be out of signal when she just called?" Ayako mumbled to herself.

Yasuhara's head snapped back to the phone and then up to Naru's face, "Maybe she can only call out."

John kept his eyes trained to the ground as he spoke gently through the room, "Or that wasn't even Mai. Whatever has her could have tried to call us…or worse."

Naru clenched the phone in his hand tightly before barking out to the room, "Everyone, get back to your assignments. We don't have much time left."

Yasuhara made his way towards the door before stopping suddenly, "Mai loved that song. She was a big fan of Offspring. She loved that verse 'Clever alibis. Lord of the flies. Hit 'em right between the eyes. Hit 'em right between the eyes. When you walk away. Nothing more to say. See the lightning in your eyes. See 'em running for their lives.'"

Naru just looked on him, "So? You set her ringtone to her favorite song. That's normal, Yasuhara. If you have anything pertinent to say then do so…if you don't please start on that list."

He looked up, his eyes narrowing at Naru, "My phone was off. And Mai's ringtone is Tsukiakari by Rie Fu." He quickly stomped out of the room leaving his phone sitting in Naru's hand.

The room was silent for a moment before Masako's light voice broke through the room, "There was something in the room with us. It was like a shadow…or shadows. They were moving towards us."

Bou-san put a hand on her shoulder, "Were they ghosts?"

Masako closed her eyes and shook her head, "They were something else. They weren't dead…but they weren't alive. It was like they were stuck and they were trying to draw other people in."

Lin's eyes widened as he focused on the younger girl, "Were they human?"

Masako looked up, staring at the ceiling for a minute while she thought, "Not anymore. It was like they were, but now…they're distorted. It's like they were twisted and warped. There weren't human emotions…only an overwhelming amount of hatred. I've never felt anything like that. It was horrifying, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even bring myself to tell you to turn the phone off."

Naru looked hard around the room, "Did anyone else see this? Did any of you feel like this?"

Everyone shook their heads no. Silence overcame the room again before Masako walked out the door. Ayako looked back between the empty doorway and Naru before following the young medium. With a nod of his head toward John, Naru made his way out the door and down the stairs. It took a moment for the Australian priest to follow him down the stairs.

"Are we sure the principal is even here? He could be somewhere else couldn't he?"

Naru didn't answer as he quickly crossed the lobby and barreled into the front office. A young woman at the front desk jumped slightly as glanced from Yasuhara, who was standing in front of her, to Naru.

Yasuhara glanced back at Naru, "The principal isn't in right now. She says he'll be back in about an hour."

Naru fixed a glare on the young woman, "Call him and inform him that as soon as he comes in I need him in the base room. And I would like you to call all of the teachers that were here today. I will be speaking them in about two hours. They should all come up to the base room so that I can record their accounts of the situation." She nodded to him, wide eyed, "Were you here when it happened?"

She stared blankly for a moment before shaking her head no, "I'm the administrative assistant. The principal called me to take care of you while he was gone. I had the day off today."

"Your name?"

"Shira. Shira Yuri." Her short black hair bounced lightly as she nodded her head, more to herself than anyone else.

"Well, Shira-san, we'll call you if we need anything. Please inform the principal of what we need." She nodded again before glancing around. "Is there something a matter, Shira-san?"

She quickly shook her head, "No…it's nothing. This is just really weird and I'd rather not be here."

Naru turned and opened the door to a shocked John, "Well you are and we're counting on you. John, come on. The principal will be meeting us in the base room in about an hour."

John and Naru found Lin in the base room staring blankly at the screen.

"Have you found anything?"

Lin spun in his chair to look at them, "The police officer died two years ago. From what I was able to gather, he didn't tell anyone about what happened other than his daughter. I haven't been able to locate her yet, but I'm working on that. I was able to contact Shota-san and he'll be here within an hour with Nimato-san, the young woman. It seems that he has connections at the institute she is staying and can bring her to us. He was in the process of coming over here with her when I called. He saw the reports and thinks that she'll be able to help. He did warn me that she isn't exactly responsive, but he believes this situation might get her talking."

Naru nodded, "The principal will be here in an hour. This situation might work out to our advantage. Getting them all in the same room won't allow them to deny what happened. Have you made any headway on the phone call?"

Lin shook his head slightly, turning back to the computer, "I have a program running to separate the voices from the static at the moment. I'm not making much headway. I've had to run it two times already and it's going slowly. It's almost as if the static is part of the voices."

"Voices?" John asked.

"Yes, it appears there is more than one. At the moment, I'm willing to bet there are three. One does seem to be Mai, but I can't be sure until the recording is less distorted."

Naru sat down on the couch, a cup of tea in his hand. He tilted the cup, "How long do you think it'll take."

Lin glanced over his shoulder at his young boss, "At the rate it's going…just over two hours. Maybe more."

"Work faster."

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: Thank you for the wonderful reviews…they help me write! Thank you for reading and please review. I promise the next chapter will be good…**

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	7. Sacrifice

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Chibi-Kari: So sorry for the wait! This semester has been killing me and then I re-edited the entire story. The flow was really bothering me and now I like it a lot more. I have added some things, so you might want to go back and read a little more. I don't own. But there is some guys scanning volume 11 of the manga…yay! I read chapter one of volume 11 last night!

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**Gone**

**Chapter 7 - Sacrifice**

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Naru had assigned various tasks for the team to complete for the hour they waited. The ruse of actually getting work done lasted all of five minutes. With a huff, Bou-san threw himself on the sofa, head in hands and stayed that way for the slow crawling 45 minutes remaining. Slowly the remaining members of the team took seats and twiddled their thumbs.

With a start Naru stood from his chair, almost knocking it down in the process. He faced the door for several seconds before a light rapping sound was heard, "Come in." His voice was firm as he tried to collect himself before their interviewees arrived.

The principal opened the door quickly, glancing around wringing his hands nervously. "You wanted to see me Shibuya-san?" His voice was nervous.

Naru nodded curtly, his eyes narrowing at the man before him. If there was one thing Naru absolutely hated it was being lied to. This man had withheld vital information and it pissed him off to no end, "Sir, we have come across a few facts that we believe are of great importance. These were facts you could have told us from the start and greatly helped the case."

The principal closed his eyes momentarily before bringing his hand to his forehead and rubbing vigorously. "I assure you that I have no idea what you are talking about, but I'll help you with anything I do know."

"Sir. You do know this information. Maybe you need to be refreshed. Does the year Shōwa 50 mean anything to you?"

His breathing hitched as he rolled on to the heels of his feet, "You mean what happened in the school in Karafuto."

Naru should have been grateful that he admitted to what happened, but the man was still being less than helpful, something Naru could only hold against the man. Sure the experience was traumatic and probably difficult to think about, even after all this time, but these kids' lives were at stake and that should supersede any personal issues. He stood up quickly placing his hand on the table about to give the man a lecture on secrets only hindering the case, but the door slid open quickly revealing three adults.

A man with black hair Bou-san's length stepped through the door first, holding the hand of a small woman behind him. Ayako shook her head slightly. The man was about fifty and wearing his hair in such an undignified fashion. The woman behind him was in her late forties, her hair untamed and her eyes scanned the room as if looking for an invisible threat. Masako leaned slightly away from the woman on principle alone. After three long strides into the room the man took his other hand and waved in one curt movement to Shira-san. The woman bowed her head slowly before stepping timidly into the room, closing the door behind her.

The man strode forward, sitting the woman he was pulling with him into a chair next to the principal. "My name is Shota Keniichi." He took a seat next to the woman and waved Shira-san closer. "This" he placed his hand on the anxious woman's back, "Is Nimato Mimi and I'm sure you've met Shira-san. Come sit next to me Yuri-chan." The young woman nodded slightly before taking a seat next to the man.

"Thank you for coming Shota-san. I hope you will be able to help us, but may I ask why Shira-san has joined us?" Naru's voice was cold. He had just run out of what little patience he had left and just wanted straight answers from everyone. These games and secrets were making him lose his last semblance of cool. All he wanted now were answers and some tea.

"Oh. You must not know. Yuri is the daughter of Yamoto Koji, the police officer I interviewed."

John leaned forward slightly towards Yuri, "May I ask why you don't use the name Yamoto?"

The young woman leaned back slightly, her hair pooling behind her back as she closed her eyes, "My father was very" she paused briefly as if trying to find words, "upset towards the end of his life. For good reason of course. I chose to use my mother's name. It allowed me to live this long without questions. I would have come to you earlier if I had known that this was connected to what my father told me about. I never imagined that they were related. Hell, I never even thought his story was true. Something like children disappearing-"

She was cut short as the woman on the other side of Shota started to rock slightly in her seat and moan, "He's here. He's coming. He's here. Please. Please I need to leave." She brought her hands up to her hair and started to tug wildly.

"Calm down Mimi. I promise no one will hurt you with me here." Shota brought his hand back to her back and started to rub it.

Her eyes snapped to his, "Ken. Ken, please. Let's go. I want to go."

The principal's voice broke her pleading with the man next to her. She snapped her eyes to his before responding to him harshly. Naru's eyebrows rose as he looked at Lin. The tall man shook his head slightly to say that he didn't understand what they were saying either.

"Mimi, I'm sure these people would rather you speak in Japanese." Shota tapped her back one last time before turning his attention to Naru.

"Many of the questions I asked in my article can be answered with one simple fact. Mimi's town was all mixed bloods who closed themselves off to both societies. I don't think there is another town like theirs in all of Japan. There could be one similar in Russia, I can't be sure."

"What do you mean? What are they Ainu or something?" Bou-san leaned forward slightly.

"We prefer Utari." The principal snapped, "But we're a mix of Japanese and Utari."

Shota nodded slightly, "Of course they didn't follow any of the two cultures purely. It was a mix. They held firm to the fact they were a different people and refused governmental involvement, like the Utari, thus their refusal to call the police when the children went missing or were screaming. Although they are similar in that respect, their religious ideas were closer to Buddhism…or some type of corruption of Buddhism using some Utari gods. The original Utari religion was animistic, now many of them to the north are Russian Orthodox. This group became something different entirely. That's where all the problems stem."

The principal shook his head slightly, "You just don't understand. If we had done things right nothing would have happened. This wouldn't have happened. Mimi left. I thought it was broken because she left and my parents no longer wanted a part in the ceremony. Kamui Fuchi was leading us on the path to salvation. Our parents were too attached to us, so Kamui Fuchi had to make us suffer to save our souls and lead us to Kamui."

Mimi started to shake her head, "He's not Kamui Fuchi. He's not! He's something evil! He's not a god at all. You brought him here!"

"This is as much my fault as it was yours. We were supposed to follow the rules. We were the chosen ones. We were to continue the tradition and wed. Those are the rules. You knew them as well as I did!"

"After what we've seen. They tore at each other. They killed each other. This was not something made by a god. This was evil. He's evil. He masquerades as good, but he's not. He's no god, Ren-kun." Mimi started to shake harder.

The principal was silent for a minute, "Yes. He's not, but if we had followed the rules none of this would have happened. We left and did not follow the path. We didn't give the sacrifices. Now he's taking his own."

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: The next chapter will be longer and hopefully be out really soon. I just needed to get some background out of the way before embarking on the actual story. Next chapter you'll hear about what actually happened from the mouths of Ren and Mimi! And disclaimer: No offense is meant to be made to the Utari people of Japan and Russia…Thanks for reading and please review!**

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	8. Yaoguai

**Chibi-Kari: Oh my goodness it has been a little over a month! I promise that won't happen again. I finished school for the semester and just now got to this! I'm really sorry but I hope a slightly longer chapter and some good old fashioned explanation of what is going on in the story will make up for it. Oh and we get to see Mai again! I really don't own.**

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**Gone**

**Chapter 8 - Yaoguai**

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Naru's eyes narrowed. They were getting somewhere, but it wasn't someplace he wanted to go. Whatever this was couldn't be seen, couldn't be sensed, and was going to kill all of the students. Mai included. "We need more information." Naru was short and to the point. He was running out of time and for once he didn't know if he could solve it. At least not with the information he had barely gotten from them.

Ren sat back in his chair slightly. He was the principal of this school and should have protected his students, not lead them to the slaughter, "What do you want to know?"

Bou-san hadn't moved since the principle had confirmed that they were Utari. "Tell me about your version of Kamui Fuchi."

"Why would that matter? You don't know anything about their religion! Kamui whatever is from that other religion not Buddhism. You can't find an answer from that!" Ayako snapped.

Bou-san slowly turned to look at her, his eyes made her hold her toungue, "I have heard of it. I know enough. My brother married an Ainu or Utari…whatever you want to call yourself! I know of it! And I certainly know Buddhism!" For once Naru thanked the powers that be for the monk sitting next to him.

"Kamui Fuchi leads us to Kamui or what you may think of as heaven or such. The world of the dead. But through Kamui Fuchi we also are given bohdi during our life. That was what we were supposed to get. Mimi and I and then we were to lead the future generation. Kamui Fuchi comes to us in the form of a young boy. He chooses among us for the leaders. The ones unworthy are cast aside."

"You said something about giving a sacrifice?" Naru snapped quickly.

Ren nodded slightly, "Mimi and I were to show that we had achieved bohdi and leaving behind our greed by giving him our first child."

Bou-san shook his head slowly.

"I thought the removal of greed and such was Nirvana in Buddhism." John commented softly.

Bou-san looked up abruptly, "It is."

"Then what's bohdi?" Masako spoke for the first time. She wasn't Buddhist. Her family had decided that religion was not necessary at a young age. Instead she was a spiritualist, as her mother called it.

"Bohdi is something more. Like Nirvana it is the extinction of greed and hate. But it also is the extinction of moha or delusion. If he was testing for Bohdi it wouldn't be that way. And Kamui Fuchi isn't a male and can't come to you."

"What do you mean?" Ayako asked softly. This was confusing to her. It wasn't just one religion with one set of rules. This was a mixture of two religions, neither of which she understood, but even if she did she wasn't sure she would be able to follow. It was such a pollution of these two religions.

"Kamui Fuchi is a female deity and she never leaves the hearth. It is true that she is the keeper of the gateway. She doesn't want sacrifices. She doesn't choose leaders. She is a protector of homes." He shook his head briskly, "I don't know what we're dealing with but I can tell you it is not Kamui Fuchi and it is not something from Buddhism. Whatever you brought upon this school is evil. I can feel it in here." He brought his hand and held it over his heart.

The room was silent for a few moments. It was rare for Bou-san to be so serious.

"Tell me about what happened that day in the school." Naru's voice rang through the air. He watched as Mimi and Ren looked between each other, neither seeming willing to talk. He needed to get information now. "Shira-san?"

The young woman took a breath looking around the room. "I don't know much. Only what my father said."

Shota put his hand on the young woman's back, "Anything you can tell them will help. We can't have a repeat of what your father saw."

She closed her eyes before nodding her head slightly, "Pretty much everything that was in Ken's report is what happened. Father-he-he said that he was one of the first to arrive and the first thing he noticed wasn't the screaming. He said the first thing he could even think about was the overpowering smell. He said he first thought it was sulfur. But as he got closer he said it was something more. Like meat that had been left out for days. And sewage. He would say that a lot. He said the first moment he stepped out of the car he almost fell to his knees from the smell and he was still across the street from the school. The smell caused his ears to ring and it took him several minutes to realize there was screaming still going on. Although it wasn't as loud as when he had received the call." She closed her eyes again, "The parents were there. Did you know that? All the parents were there and not doing anything. Not crying. Not trying to help their children. They were just standing. Father said he couldn't get anyone to help him open the door. His partner tried to talk to the townspeople while my father rushed to the door. He said all he could think about was the children. How he could only picture me being in their place. All he wanted to do was get inside to help them. My father cried when he told me about what he saw. That what was on the floor couldn't be classified as blood anymore. How limbs were everywhere and all he could remember were their last screams before it suddenly went quiet. He said the screams weren't those of fear. They were of anger and anguish and hate. He found Mimi first and then Ren." She gestured slightly to the two, "He had to drag them out. My father never slept after that. He didn't do anything. Mother had always told me that he had become a policeman because he valued human life and he had to quit after that. That now he saw how evil humans could be. I never understood that statement."

"It is what they did. What they did to each other." The principle grimaced slightly. "It is just like Mimi said. They tore at each other. They tore at themselves. All of them. There was no reason. One moment we were all in class. The next I was standing there and they were at each other. They were killing each other. Their faces." His voice broke. "They were animals. They weren't human anymore."

Mimi's soft voice cut in, "He did that. He did that to them. He took away everyone's humanity. Everyone but us. It was like-it was like-"

"Like they couldn't even see us."

"Couldn't see you as in didn't notice where you were standing or they were too busy with each other?" Naru raised his eyebrow slightly. Something didn't make sense. If these kids had really just started attacking each other then these two being safe was near impossible.

"No. We were in the middle of the room. They couldn't see us. The blood was everywhere but it didn't get on us. It was like we weren't there. We were watching it. When it was done we were there. But we weren't there!" The principle grabbed his hair and pulled roughly. "I can't explain it! It happened! You need to do something. The kids. They need you. They can't do this. This isn't a part of their history. It's not their fault. They shouldn't be punished for something they don't believe in. This isn't fair!"

"Didn't you always teach us that the world isn't fair and it is that fact that makes us stronger?" Naru turned abruptly to the door as the rest of the team made movements to get out of their seats. Naru held his hand up in a motion to stop them.

"Mai."

"Naru." She smiled a rueful smile from her spot next to the door.

"What's going on? Who is doing this?" Naru snapped at her. She was doing it again, something she had taken to doing, not telling him vital information.

"Just like they said. Everyone is stuck. They don't know what's happening. There was a girl named Tsuki. She knew a little. He stopped her from coming over. He can't stop me though. He tried to use them, but it didn't work." She laughed lightly. "This isn't going like he wanted. It isn't the same. He is going to take everyone."

"He's going to have everyone kill each other?" John asked lightly. Mai nodded swiftly. There wasn't even a semblance of doubt in her eyes.

"How is he stopping the other girl and not you?" Lin's solemn voice echoed through the room. He had a feeling if he could figure out how they were being blocked then he could understand how to help them all.

"He had them kill her."

"And you?" Masako's voice shook as she looked at the girl in front of her. They had grown closer after the last case and she just couldn't picture herself on a case without Mai.

She laughed, "He isn't going to kill me if that's what you're asking."

"Why?" The question would sound callous if it had come from anyone except Naru.

"He thinks I can help him. He's planning on keeping me. He wants to become a deity. He was close before they left and abandoned his worship. Now he is going to take it." She looked backwards, "You can't help us. You should leave before he consumes you too."

"Mai, what is he? We can help you. Just tell us what he is." Naru's voice was confident. Something that no one else in the room was able to feel.

She started to fade out of the room, "Gene called him a Yaoguai. A mó." Her voice echoed through the room.

"A what?" Bou-san asked.

"An evil demon." Lin's voice echoed through the room as he sat down heavily. This wouldn't be easy if that was what this thing was. It may even be impossible if it was powerful enough to hide an entire school like this.

Naru continued to look at the door, a blank expression on his face.

"Naru, you okay?" Bou-san stood slowly as if approaching a dangerous animal.

The rest of the team looked on the boy as if he was going to snap at any of them. He suddenly turned to stare at Lin. "Did she say Gene?"

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: Thanks for sticking with me! Once again sorry for the long delay!**


	9. Quigong

**Chibi-Kari: I've brought in something that has bothered me in the manga for ages into this story! I hope you enjoy how I'm explaining what I thought of as a little hole in the plot. Thanks for keeping up with me everyone! I don't own anything, obviously!**

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**Gone**

**Chapter 9 - Quigong**

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"It has to be someone in her class." Lin had said to him quickly.

Naru stood in the boy's restroom looking at his reflection. Lin had said that so he could stay focused on the task. He fisted his hand on the sink and pounded on the porcelain slightly. Mai had said Gene and Naru knew that no one in her class had that name. No one in the school had that name. He wasn't stupid. He had read the entire class lists. Gene was not a common Japanese name. She was talking about his brother…talking to his brother. The question wasn't whether that was the case; the real question was how long had this been going on. If he didn't have to save Mai before he damn well had to save her now. She was a tie, a clue, to his brother. The person Naru wanted more than anything or anyone.

"Bollucks!" It had been a long time since he had spoken in English and it felt good to get the frustration out. He had never been one to speak so crudely, but right this second was an exception.

He looked up to his reflection as it moved in a way that he was certain he hadn't moved. Was it the demon?

"Hello, Noll." The familiar voice reverberated throughout his head and stunned him for a moment.

"Gene?" His reflection smiled back at him.

"Yes. It seems you've gotten yourself in a rut." The voice sounded slightly sad and taunting at the same time. Naru wondered as the lips in the mirror moved while his remained still.

"How are you doing this? Why now?"

Gene shook his head quickly, "Now isn't the time for this, Noll. Time is running out quickly. He grows stronger every moment Mai is with him. Every second we waste here she grows farther away from me. I can't contact her anymore. She's import, Noll. Not just to you and me. She's _important_. And more powerful than either you or I could begin to imagine."

Naru shook his head, "She's completely untrained, Gene. Even if she had an obscene amount of power she couldn't utilize it and neither could the demon, thank God."

"Completely untrained? Ask Lin about that. Ask him about the hospital after you almost joined me here. You need to destroy this thing, Naru. It will cause more destruction than you can imagine if you let it consume Mai." Gene started to fade.

"Gene!" Naru snapped reaching forward towards the glass.

"I'll be back. Just go to a mirror. Mai needs me." With that Naru was left to his own reflection.

He stood for a moment letting Gene's warning run through his mind. How could Mai possibly be trained? She didn't know anything about paranormal investigation. She didn't even know she was psychic before he met her and there was no way she could get training without his knowledge. Gene told him to ask Lin and that was exactly what he would do.

His steps echoed through the eerily quiet hallways. He had hoped he would never be back here after the false case and now he was presented with something that would normally be outside of his realm. Dealing with demons was not something he wanted to do on a daily basis. They were powerful and deadly. One wrong move and you could lose everything. And he was a researcher. His entire purpose was to get scientific proof that ghosts existed. It wasn't to help these people. It wasn't to put his life on the line to save people he didn't even know.

He opened the door with a quick flick of his wrist. The principal and their other guests had left the base when they couldn't give any more information. Naru had asked them to stay downstairs and they obliged, even Mimi who had put up quite the fight before Ken was able to convince her that she could possibly save these children.

"Lin." His voice was hard and cold. Commanding. He was sick of all these secrets. Not that he wasn't the one with, possibly, the biggest secret.

"Yes?" The man had turned from his computer and Naru could see the research on Yaoguai that was on the screen.

"When I was in the hospital that last time did Mai say anything?"

"Say anything? She was worried." Lin sounded slightly confused, something highly unusual for the Chinese man.

"Something she shouldn't have known about. Maybe it didn't seem like a big deal at the time, but it didn't sit well with you after?" Naru pressed on.

Lin looked thoughtful for a moment before his eyes widened marginally. "There was something. I thought maybe you had told her about it because I certainly didn't."

"What was it, Lin?"

"She asked me if you had used Qigong and if that was why you ended up in the hospital. She told me that she thought it was only used to cure illnesses and didn't understand why you had gotten injured from it. I thought it was strange that she used the Chinese name for it. I didn't think it was a very popular idea in Japan. I thought she would have mentioned something like Tai Chi instead." Lin shook his head slightly. "She used the Mandarin pronunciation for it, not the Japanese."

"It isn't common here and I certainly didn't tell her about it." Naru quickly turned on the rest of the team.

"I don't even know what it is." Bou-san held his hands up as the rest shook their heads.

"I vaguely know what it is…it has something to do with the ki, right? It is about fixing life force with breathing or something, right? I don't know much about it. My father said anyone who practiced it was crazy and that it could actually lead to psychosis if it wasn't done with a teacher. I certainly don't know enough to tell Mai about it." Ayako looked up to Naru with wide eyes, "Her father was a psychologist. Couldn't he have known about it?"

"It's possible." Naru looked up thinking about the complications if she was versed in Qigong.

"Why did you ask about that, Naru?" Lin's voice broke him from his thoughts.

"Gene told me to."

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Lin slammed his hand down on the desk.

"Exactly what I said, Lin. Gene showed up in the mirror and told me that Mai wasn't untrained and that if the demon took her it would be detrimental."

"Not untrai-No." Lin spun towards his computer before typing furiously.

Naru strode across the room to his panicking assistant, "What is it, Lin?"

"I'm contacting my father. He is well versed in Yaoguai. He warned me that if anyone had had training with their ch'I that it was highly dangerous. He said that the spiritual energy of someone trained was more powerful and could be manipulated by the Yaoguai. I had said that no one was trained so he told me not to worry about it. I didn't think any of these children would be trained. Would even know about ch'i. Naru, this changes everything."

"What do you mean?" He looked down at the Chinese man in front of him.

Lin stopped typing momentarily before turning to his young ward. "We may have to destroy Mai."

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I should be updating several times a month and finish this off rather quickly! Or at least that is the plan! I hope everyone had a good holiday. Please leave me a little review!**


	10. Where the Lines Overlap

**Chibi-Kari: Another chapter for wonderful reviewers! I hope everyone is having a better year than last! I don't own anything, except all the praise that you give me!**

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**Gone**

**Chapter 10 – Where the Lines Overlap**

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Naru couldn't make out half of what was shouted after Lin's comment. His brain had ceased to function for several minutes and he couldn't even understand the possibility of her death. It just didn't compute. Mai would be okay. Mai was always okay. That was all that ran through his mind the first time he realized that his assistant was in serious danger.

The room had settled down after a few minutes and Naru vaguely registered that Lin had pulled up a video conference screen.

"If she is trained in the area of ch'i there is no way that I can help you. She has to be destroyed." The man on the screen moved slightly to the side before fading momentarily. "You know the process, Koujo?"

The younger Chinese man nodded in response, "Yes, father. Are you sure there is no other way."

The elder man paused and looked serious for a moment, "You told me once you suspected she had some sort of ability. Did she?"

Naru couldn't remember ever discussing Mai's abilities with Lin before they ran the test. He had simply asked for the equipment so Lin should have never had time to speak with his father without knowing results. He shook his head firmly. It seemed as if his assistant was keeping several things secret about Mai.

Lin nodded once, "She has been speaking with Gene and she does dream pre-cognitive and clairvoyant dreams while on cases."

"So she's a medium. That's worse. And visions that come to her in dreams. There is no other option."

Naru stepped forward, "There has to be another option. You are the leader in this field, Lin-san. Don't let prejudices stand in the way of saving lives."

The elder's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Noll, I would appreciate if you spoke to me with the proper amount of respect. I am the leader in this field. I am not a miracle worker or magician. You may want to keep your tie to your brother here among you, but that doesn't give you the right to harm innocent people. And it's impossible. The vile creature that has her will only rip away at her soul piece by piece and she will be destroyed in a way that is indescribable. She will become a faceless one. They all will. If Koujo destroys her it will be quick and painless. Then you can vanquish the demon and the other children will be freed. Are you willing to kill hundreds just to lose the life of the one you are trying to save? She is just a clairvoyant medium. Although rare nothing that you cannot replace on your team."

"Father, she is valued we wouldn't be replacing her." Lin looked mildly disgusted.

"I didn't mean it in those terms. I just don't want that spoiled child to risk the lives of hundreds so that he can hold on to his dear dead brother in another way. So I take it you found out that it was a mó from Gene. He is contacting Noll somehow. He always was a powerful child."

"Mai told us what Gene told her." Masako's voice rang through the air as she moved to the screen. Her face was contemplative.

"She was taken after she told you? I thought she was a member of the school and taken with the rest of the children. The demon shouldn't have enough power to take her after and continue to hold all the children." Lin's father looked slightly confused.

Masako smiled slightly. Lin had obviously forgotten to mention her other ability and Masako was banking on the fact that it might help them, "She was already taken when she told us."

"Wai-"

"Mai can astral project."

Lin's father was silent for a moment, "So you saw her and then relayed the message? Projection on to the spiritual plane." He looked contemplative.

"No. She projected onto the physical plane and informed us." Masako looked over at Naru with a smug look on her face.

"Projection on to the physical plane? We might be able to help her. We might be able to help them all. But if this was her first time it would be near impossible for her to do it when we need her to. This is risky, just too risky still." He shook his head slightly as he turned to look at the books on the shelf.

"This isn't her first time. And it isn't just a projection, Lin-san. She handed me a physical object once. It wasn't a duplicate it was the actual physical object." Masako leaned forward as she got closer to the webcam that Lin had setup.

The elder had stopped his movements and turned back to the camera, "No one is as lucky as us."

"What do you mean?" Naru demanded.

The elder man shook his head, "It is near impossible for her to be there. The chances. She can apport. Project herself. A medium. A clairvoyant. She has everything. The chances of this happening." He turned quickly back to the bookshelf and quickly pulled through the titles, "An author, ages ago, wrote a book on vanquishing this type of demon once they had taken others with a psychic. The only way he could find to save them all was if there was someone with the right set of abilities. He claimed that only once had this happened. It was years ago at a hospital and he claimed that when the rest of the hospital came back, that they were unable to remember anything that happened. They claimed that he was going crazy and he was asked to leave. He and his wife moved to the outskirts of the city and he wrote this book. There aren't many copies as it couldn't be verified that his was speaking truth. This seems impossible that she was one of the ones taken. Near impossible." He continued to search his shelf until hesitating over a book before pulling it out, "Here it is: Mó and Kamikakushi by Taniyama Daisuke."

"Damn it." Yasuhara cursed as he dove her Mai's file again. Everyone turned to look at him and Naru immediately understood.

"What?" The voice from the computer rang through the room.

Naru turned back to Lin's father as the rest looked on the young Japanese man now sprawled on the floor file opened in front of him, "Does the book tell exactly how to get everyone back?"

The man shook his head slightly, "It doesn't give exact details. What's going on, Noll?"

"Mai's family name is Taniyama, Lin-san."

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: Anyone see that coming? Read and review please!**


	11. Daisuke

**Chibi-Kari: Sorry for the big gap in time…school has been being mean to me and I lost this chapter after it was half written. But I'll give you Gene as a present! I obviously don't own, but I do have an idea for a new story…this one is coming to a close.**

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Gone**

**Chapter 11 - Daisuke**

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"Taniyama? Is that a common name?" Lin-san faded a moment before coming back in stronger.

Naru glanced back at the young man sprawled across the floor. He was focused on the file in front of him. Naru shook his head slightly, turning back to the webcam, "No it's not a common last name."

"Here! Here it is! Daisuke!" Yasuhara's voice rang out and echoed through the now silent room.

"What? What's going on?" The voice emanating from the speakers jarred Naru back into reality.

"Taniyama Daisuke was Mai's father." The statement seemed surreal. Everything she had ever said to him seemed like a lie. He knew nothing about the young girl that served him his tea and carved out a place in his heart. She denied being a psychic and now he comes to find out she was the daughter of a powerful psychic. The family history should have been enough for her to realize her potential and get some form of assistance. People like her were rare and she could have had a place in the world. The British SPR would have given her a place and set her up for the rest of her life. Instead, she worked to support herself since both of her parents were gone. Something didn't fit.

"Maybe her father gave her the steps. Maybe she knows." Lin-san's voice echoed into the room from the computer. His excitement baffled Naru. He had never seen Lin's father excited about anything. And sadly he would have to burst his bubble.

"I doubt it, Lin-san. She wasn't even aware that she had powers when she came to us."

"Not aware-wah. Oh." His voice took on a grave tone and he nodded to the camera once.

"What is it, father?" Lin leaned forward in his chair slightly. The tone in his father's voice disconcerted him.

"No. It makes sense. I should have known. I spoke with him once because I was curious. Although few people believed the book…the details just got to me. I knew he was telling some sort of truth and I wanted talk to him personally."

"What did he say?" Naru felt his calm slipping. No one was getting straight to the point. It was like he was running around in circles and they were running out of time. He'd never failed a case before and as time ticked by he could feel himself coming closer to never being able to say that again.

"He didn't want to be on the phone with me. He kept repeating that all of that craziness was behind them. That he and his family didn't want to get involved. I had asked to talk to his wife and he got irate." Lin-san shook his head back and forth slightly in disbelief. "I can't believe I didn't realize it. I heard a child's voice in the background. I didn't even think about the fact that they would have children. They wouldn't have told her. I know they wouldn't. He only wanted to keep them safe. About two months later I received his original files on his wife and research in the mail after that with a note that the burden would be passed on to me. He never gave me anything about the actual case in the hospital. All I had of that was in this book. But everything else…what I read was shocking,"

"What did you find?" Yasuhara moved forward with a pen and paper in his hand.

"He met his wife a year before the incident when she was forced into the psychiatric hospital by the police. It seems she had be a menace to society and it was deemed that she had to be cared for for the rest of her life."

"Is there any information to why?" Naru fell directly into investigator mode. This was giving him more information that Ren, Mimi, and Ken could combined together.

Lin-san nodded roughly, "She was seventeen when she was brought in. Both of her parents were dead at this time and she never left the house." He took a breath, "Since she was fifteen she had been experiencing horrifying nightmares and the compounded to the point of lashing out at those around her. She couldn't seem to get away from the ghosts that wanted to share their past with her. She was a very powerful medium. When she was seventeen she blinded herself to try and stop the images." Everyone sat silent. The fact that that easily described Mai's path was frightening and lost on no one. It was pure luck that they had found her right when her powers started to immerge. "That's when she was brought in. Daisuke immediately knew what she was and asked for her to be in his care."

"How did he know?"

"He was what was considered a faith healer at the time. He came from a long line of them. At least that's what his bio said. He didn't go into any of that with me, but from his notes later on I could tell that he was versed in Onmyodo."

Lin's hand smacked against the table as he stood, the chair falling to the floor, "He was an onmyoji?!"

Lin-san nodded slightly to his son, "From what I could gather. Of course he wouldn't come out and say that as it was prohibited until 2006, after his death. But it's important that you're there. Like I said chances of this happening were so slim. So unbelievable."

Naru cut the man off, "You said research later on. What was in that?"

Lin-san gulped and leaned back, "Suppression of powers. He thought he found a way. Those notes were on using the powers of familiars and old spells to suppress the powers of a psychic. He didn't do it to his daughter?"

"Obviously not. Or something didn't go as planned." Naru surmised as he glanced up at the ceiling. The puzzle pieces seemed to be slowly fitting together, but something was still wrong. When did you get the files in the mail? Do you remember?"

Lin's father looked mildly offended, "Of course I remember September of 2000."

Yasuhara dropped his pen, "That's a month after he died."

Lin-san looked stunned before quickly turning disgruntled. "I thought he sent it. That doesn't matter does it? We need to figure out a plan. Can you get in contact with her?"

Masako's soft voice cut through the silence, "I can't get in contact with her. She's behind something…they are all. Just beyond what I can see."

Lin-san nodded slightly, "That would be the curtain the mó uses to hold them all. What about Gene? Didn't you say you could contact your brother, Noll?"

Bou-san and Ayako exchanged a glance. This reference to a brother and mispronunciation of Naru's name was unsettling, but it seemed to be the least of their worries. Right now this Gene seemed to be the only tie to Mai that they have.

"He said I needed to find a mirror when I wanted to speak with him."

"Or a nice shiny monitor." Gene's voice echoed through the room and all the irregulars except Masako took a step back as they saw Naru's reflection move to wave at them.

"Stop kidding around. We need to organize this. You can still make it to Mai?" Naru's voice was stiff and Gene could tell his brother was upset with him, but believed that now was not the time to discuss it. Gene couldn't fault him because now wasn't the time. If he had his say in things never would be the right time, but he had to save Mai and save her quickly.

"I can't go of my own volition. Mai has to call me. It's getting harder for me. He knows I'm here and is trying to break her. If he can convince her of the helplessness then it'll be over for all of us. Give me something. Anything I can tell her next time. Time is of the essence."

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**TBC**

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**Chibi-Kari: Thanks for the reviews you've given me. Please continue to do so…and I'll start writing my other story in a few minutes…I probably won't start it until I have a few chapters written…or not if I get excited. Anyway please review and thanks for reading!**


	12. Hope

**Chibi-Kari: Another instalment. I'm thinking the next chapter will be the last…can't be sure, yet. I don't own anything, but I hope you guys are enjoying the wild ride. I have two chapters written of my next story…so it'll be out as soon as this one ends!**

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Gone**

**Chapter 12 - Hope

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"That's how they work." Lin-san's voice crackled through the computer, "Hopelessness. The old eastern churches had that right. When they thought depressed people were plagued by demons. Not all of them were, don't get me wrong, but it was a sign."

"Grains of truth." John responded softly and Lin-san nodded in response.

"Gene. Tell Mai we can save them all it's been done before. Ask her to stay with us…stay conscious. She should be able to hear our planning then. I know it'll take work; she just has to focus. Tell her to focus on our voices and remember. Remember who she is."

"I don't know if that will help. She's headstrong and not in a good way." Gene nodded slightly looking dubious.

"Isn't that the truth." Naru mumbled to himself before shaking his head. Mai loved to be abnormal. If she could withhold the truth and do something dangerous she would. But she was always hopeful. Whatever the hell this was was making her lose hope and that was disconcerting.

"Just tell her." Lin-san assured, "If she can bring herself back to us we can plan. That's the wonder of this. It can't stop us if she comes on the physical level. The powers are limited when it is keeping up the veil. Granted this many people held behind the veil means this is a very powerful demon. Just tell her to keep believing, Gene."

Gene nodded before he said, "I need to get going. She's calling me. I'll tell her, try to get her to come. It's hard on her though. It takes a lot of energy."

Naru watched as his brother started fading. It was like losing them both, "Tell her I've never failed and I'm not going to start now!"

Gene's form became a little more solid for a moment as he smiled at his brother, "I will." He faded out completely and Naru felt constricted for a moment. They still had nothing. Nothing was exactly where they were.

"The files didn't say anything else, Lin-san?" Yasuhara asked as he stepped forward.

"Nothing much, just the theory of it. Basically we'll need Lin to channel his power through Mai so that the demon can be destroyed. It can't be destroyed on this level. That's how they get away with it. You have to destroy them when they first come or do it this way. Basically you're screwed either way."

"I thought you said we would have to destroy her and then we could destroy the demon." Masako's voice was small and she looked sick even repeating it.

"Yes, I did say that and it's true in this case. If you destroyed her then you could lure the demon on the physical plain and kill it. If it has her it won't leave the area it made. And it wouldn't leave if it never had a reason. My son is really the only way to save them if you won't kill her."

Lin looked contemplative for a moment before speaking to his father, "I don't know if I can. I've never channelled and I thought you only could physically. You have to have a connection with that person. Stretching your physical energy like that is hard enough, but then weaving a spell and channelling it. I'm not sure I'll be able to."

Naru was shocked. He had never heard Lin so unsure of himself. Yes, he knew that this was going to be difficult for the Chinese man, but he didn't doubt him for one moment. Mai's life was at stake and Naru knew that Lin didn't like to lose people.

"Not only is it hard, son, but it's dangerous. I'm not going to lie to you. You have to be sure that you're connecting to her and only her. If you don't you could funnel the energy straight into the demon and it will proceed to drain you completely. There is risk in this. And you can't be wishy-washy about this. You have to be completely sure you want to do this Lin. If you aren't the demon will feel it and try to connect or stop the flow. I can't make any promises, but this is what the file say needs to be done. This is what needs to happen if you want to save those children. If you want to save this girl."

Lin nodded slightly still looking unsure of the entire situation. "I'll need to meditate and center my ch'i."

Lin-san nodded slightly, "It'll help to think of her when you try to channel to her. You need to concentrate on what she feels like. You may not think you can distinguish between anyone, but you can. You subconsciously do it. Every person in this room feels different and you need to remember what hers is."

Lin closed his eyes slightly, "Naru brings calm and confidence."

"Good what about someone else?" Lin's father started to coach his son slightly.

"Takagawa is humor and security. Brown-san is peace and consideration."

"Good. Good. What about Mai now? What's missing from the normal picture?"

Lin paused for a moment, "Light and hope. And this sense of selflessness."

Lin-san smiled, "Those are good things for her to be. This is good. You just have to make sure that she remembers herself then. She can break through as long as she stays true to herself. Remember those feelings, son. Focus on them when you connect to her."

"What spell should I use? Does it say?"

For the first time in almost an hour Lin's father looked uncomfortable and unsure, "It doesn't say. The spells wouldn't even be the same. Daisuke was Japanese and you're Chinese. The spells don't have translations. But you will need a purification technique. Salt. Holy water. Purify the room. Then the best bet will be to use an exorcism spell. A powerful one at that. And show no fear. You can't let any doubt or fear enter your being and neither can she. You can do this. You both can do this."

"You have a lot of faith." Her voice was calm as she appeared standing next to Naru. He took a step to her and reached out. His fisted his hand and dropped his arm when it floated right through her. She smiled slightly at Naru before focusing on the screen, "Quite a lot for never having met me, Lin-san."

"I believe in my son, Taniyama-san. And I know you are the daughter of two amazing people."

The lights flickered before sending the room into darkness. Mai looked panicked, "He's starting."

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**TBC

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**Chibi-Kari: Thanks for reading! Please drop me a little review!**


	13. Fear

**Chibi-Kari: This is it! The last chapter! I don't own anything and I hope you'll stick around for my next story! Please leave me a little note about what you think…I tried to make the last chapter a little longer for your enjoyment!

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**Gone**

**Chapter 13 - Fear

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Screams filled the room and Masako collapsed to her knees, "There's so much pain. All of them. Their spirits. He's sending them pain and anguish. Anger. It – it feels like hell." She started to shake her head, gripping at her hair madly.

Mai looked around the room sadly before making eye contact with John, "He's trying to warp them. Twist them and remove their humanity. Then the final plan is to allow them to kill each other. The pain and hatred is how it works." Tears started to run down her face. "Pray, John. Please. Pray." Her voice sounded hopeless as she looked at the young priest.

John's face fell and he start to pray pulling out his holy water and reciting everything he could remember. The screams continued to tear through the room and John started to cry. There was too much anguish and hatred and it was killing him inside. These children were being forced to experience something that would alter them, he could only hope he got to them soon enough. He placed a hand on Masako's head and continued to pray as she sobbed on the ground.

Naru spun towards Mai, "What is this thing doing? What's he doing to them to make this happen?" Nothing about this case made sense, but he, for once in his short life, was glad he wasn't among the victims. Knowing what they were going through almost felt like too much. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Mai looked around the room sadly as if she could see her schoolmates in agony, "He's showing them what people are capable of. What true evil is," She laughed sardonically, "because it certainly isn't demons or anything we've seen. At least on the supernatural level. He's the closest I've seen, but he's not true evil. It's all around us daily, though. That's what he's showing them. Evil. Real evil. I've seen it already. Loss of hope and sanity is what he aims. Then he will play off of their fear." She laughed again as tears started to pour down her face, "Fear is more dangerous than anything I've seen."

Naru nodded slightly. There wasn't anything he could say to that. There was nothing he could counter that with. He could tell it was the truth. And that fact was frightening.

"I think we've run out of time, Lin." She looked sadly at the older man, "You all should leave. It's going to be bad. Burn the building. Burn it all. That will be a better death. He'll have gotten what he wanted, but he won't have their souls."

No one could believe these words were coming out of the girl they had known for over a year. She had so much hope, normally, but now it was like she was resigned and empty.

"This is what it wants, Mai." Ayako's voice was quiet as she glanced around the rooms. The screams were piercing her heart and she flinched as a particularly bloodcurdling one ripped through the air, "It's not over and we aren't going to give this thing what it wants." She picked up her ceremonial objects and knelt down beginning to chant her purification rituals.

"We believe in you, Mai-chan. And Lin." Takagawa nodded towards the older man. He held Mai's gaze, "You are coming out of wherever the hell you are Mai-chan. And then we're going to see all that you can do because you aren't done surprising us yet. Plus, none of us can make Naru-chan his tea the right way." For once Naru didn't flinch or glare when the chan was added to his name like the older man tended to do.

Mai looked towards Lin, slightly uncertain, as Takagawa started to chant.

Lin stood up, "Mai." She jumped slightly before smiling to herself lightly as she heard her first name fall from the lips of the older man. She had tried to get him to open up for a year and he never would, "Concentrate on me. We're going to connect our spiritual energy. Then I need you to direct it towards the demon. Do this for me." It wasn't a request. The older man was informing her this would work.

For the first time since she was taken she felt hope starting to bubble within her. Looking at her friends…no, family was an eye opener. It was so easy to forget how much they loved her and took care of her, but with them standing in front of her it was easy. These were people she couldn't let down. They needed her just as much as she needed them. She looked over at her boss and he smiled lightly at her. It was different than the one Gene would give her. Naru's made her heart swell. It didn't hold the same warmth Gene's held…it had something more.

She made eye contact with Lin, "Let's get this done, then. I'm sure Naru wants some tea."

Lin looked at his young boss with a barely concealed smile, "He's been absolutely insufferable without it." He took a deep breath before closing his eyes, "Reach for me Mai. Make sure you don't feel anything else. Focus on me."

"I don't-" She started unsurely.

Lin's eyes snapped open, "You've done much harder things with ease. Aporting for example. This will be easy for you. Just don't block me. It might feel strange at first when our energy connects, then it'll feel like I'm pushing it into you and you need to release it right away. Don't. Hold it until you know where the demon is. That's when you let go." Lin closed his eyes once again to center himself. He trusted Mai to follow his instructions, no matter how vague. But he had a sudden surge of confidence in himself. Even through he had no idea what he was doing, he felt that it would work. Everything within him was telling him it would come naturally and that he would know when it came to the point what he needed to do. And Lin didn't make it a practice to doubt himself.

As soon as he opened himself up he could feel her. It was like a beacon to where his energy needed to go. He reached forward and could feel her reaching out towards him before they came up short. It was like there was a barrier that was stopping them. His mind cleared and he knew exactly what was wrong. He didn't have a connection with her, not strong at least. They both reserved themselves. Mai as a form of survival, but he did it because of his prejudices. He almost laughed to himself as he tried to push forward through it. It was almost as if he could just reach her, brushing fingertips.

"Naru. I can't get it far enough. I can't push through." He gritted his teeth and pushed harder; sitting back on the chair behind him to save energy. He needed to do this; there just weren't any other options. He closed his eyes and pushed harder. He could feel his energy starting to recoil back towards him, which was dangerous in and of itself. It could be deadly with the amount he was pushing.

He almost broke the connection as Naru's hand came around his arm, "Naru, you can't." Lending his power like that could kill him or not even work.

He looked at his young friend as he glared down at him, "I can do this." Lin studied the young man for another moment before nodding and pushing forward once again. This time the mixed powers slid easily through the barrier in front of Mai. And then he could feel it. She trusted them implicitly and he understood why Naru had hired her. There was something so pure within her and he could feel the pure power himself. If anything was certain it was that Gene wasn't lying when he said they couldn't let the demon have her. She needed to be protected because she was much more powerful than any of them gave her credit for. He opened his eyes and looked at Naru. The young man's eyes were wide open as if he was shocked by the entire experience it. Lin had a feeling that Naru was feeling something a little more than he expected and something Lin hadn't felt. It wasn't rocket science. He shook his head slightly before he began weaving the spell. It was simple, yet he knew it was right. For her pure spirit it would combine and purify the demon easily and transferring it would be simple.

He had just begun to send it to her when the lights started to flicker harder, giving an almost funhouse effect to the room. He started to see the outline of the children in various positions on the floor rocking and screaming. They were in agony. There was no doubt of that fact now. And then Lin saw it.

Before all of them was a young boy. He looked no older than fifteen in a crisp school uniform. He smiled glancing at each of them in turn before turning his gaze completely on Lin. It was like he knew that Lin was the only thing that could stop him now. John started to pray harder and Lin took a moment to study this thing. The feeling pooling from it was frightening, but he looked so plain and unnoticeable. He looked like an average Japanese boy, but even his smile was sinister. It poured out of every inch of his being, but it was his eyes that were the most frightening. It felt as if his soul recoiled from looking at the boy and Lin started to shake. Mai had told them that this wasn't true evil, but it felt like it and for once in his life Lin was frightened. Then he felt it. Mai pulled him back, drawing on Naru's calm. Together it was one of the most powerful things he had ever felt. The spell ended effortlessly and he could feel Mai pull it from him with a smile.

She turned and faced the being in front of her. Her hair started to flutter with the amount of power focused in her and Lin vaguely compared her to an angel as the light within her seemed to pour out around them.

Her voice was slightly quiet as she raised her arms in front of her, "It's over now."

The light filled the room forcing the entire team to close their eyes. When they opened their eyes the room was filled with children. Most were crying and a few were sitting around the room looking terrified as if the world around them was a lie, which Naru surmised was probably true. Mai stepped forward, tears in her eyes, she set her hands on Lin and Naru's shoulders before turning to everyone else.

"It's over." It was only moments before the rest of the group came to surround and embrace her.

"It is." John repeated as Masako started to cry on Mai's shoulder, holding the other girl tightly.

Naru stood solidly looking on to the group in front of him. Lin couldn't read his young friend, "Are you alright?"

Naru nodded slightly, "I don't have a problem channelling. Gene and I used to do that. It's when I can't it takes a toll on my body." His eyes were solemn as he looked on them, "They'll never be the same, will they?" Lin knew it didn't require an answer. These kids wouldn't ever be the same. They had seen something so few people had and no one wanted to see. There was a heavy cost to saving their lives and Lin almost thought it might have been better for them to die.

Naru straightened up after a minute, "We should head back to the base. And, Mai, I expect tea as soon as we get there."

She turned to her boss and laughed lightly, "I'm almost surprised you don't want me to make it here and now."

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**The End

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**Chibi-Kari: I hope you all enjoyed and will stick around for my next story!**


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